LOS ANGELES (AP)  Protesters rallied in dozens of cities Saturday as part of a global protest against seed giant Monsanto and the genetically modified food it produces, organizers said.

Organizers said "March Against Monsanto" protests were held in 52 countries and 436 cities, including Los Angeles where demonstrators waved signs that read "Real Food 4 Real People" and "Label GMOs, It's Our Right to Know."

The U.S. Senate this week overwhelmingly rejected a bill that would allow states to require labeling of genetically modified foods.

The same people favor the biggest federal government possible ... without which Monsanto, ADM and others would not exist because they get so many subsidies and favored tax status, exclusions from lawsuits, etc.

...Not only GMO's, but Monsanto has the 'terminator seed'. This seed produces a plant with no viable seed to reuse for the following year. This seed is sold primarily in 3rd work regions desperate for food. AND - Here in the USA Monsanto patrols the heartland looking for farmers trying to reuse the seed they bought. Farmers are hit heavy with fines if they save seed for the next year. Monsanto has bought many small seed companies and now controls a large market share of our food supply. Follow their rules, or pay

... Monsanto seeds require the application of the Round-up chemicals to activate features; this way farmers have to buy the seeds AND the chemicals to spray on them!

... if GM seeds are no big deal then why all the fuss against labeling? Why not let consumers make their own choice? Why spend nearly $6 million on lobbying for the "Monsanto Protection Act," which was written anonymously, passed in secret, and allows Monsanto to keep selling genetically engineered seeds even if a federal court says they may pose a health risk?..

I don’t think that is quite right. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a Monsanto supporter.

The GMO foods are resistant to the weed killer in Round-UP. In other words, it makes it possible to spray the weeds and not kill the crop along with the weeds. The problem is that no one really believes that Round-Up is not harmful to humans.

GMO foods enable farmers to grow more crops on less land. There is a huge push to open up land in the Pacific Northwest to growing grain and soybeans to ship to China, land which has been banned from growing anything by the federal government. GMO crops are the back-up crop for some of those new “coal” terminals that the Obama administration is pushing, with the support of of Republicans and TeaParty members. According to some of the representatives of the Gateway Pacific Terminal (Goldman Sachs), the Chinese have told them that they don’t want our sub-bituminous coal, they want grain and soy beans. (but coal is the product that earns the support of the Republicans).

I didn’t see any mention of the fact that the TeaParty was the original backer of this anti-Monsanto demonstration. I heard this because the local left, which has been opposing GMO foods for a long time, backed out of the local event when they found out that it was connected to the TeaParty.

Crony Capitalism used to game the system. This is as far from capitalism and as far from what the founders intended as can be. Did you know that Monsanto has strong ties to Obama?

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Meet a few of the games players

MICHAEL TAYLOR

FDA  Monsanto  FDA  USDA  Monsanto  FDA  FDA

Michael Taylor was most recently appointed by Barack Obama to be the Senior Advisor to the Commisioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration. His previous post was also under Obama as the Deputy Commissioner for Foods (Food Safety Czar) at the FDA. He was also put in charge of the FDA under Bill Clinton where he approved Monsantos rBGH. Taylor worked with Monsanto by establishing and leading a food and drug law practice as well as later serving as Vice President for Public Policy at Monsanto. He also had a stint with the United States Department of Agriculture. Michael Taylors back and forth positions with Monsanto, the FDA, and the USDA over the course of nearly three decades is a perfect example of how big government and big business operate.

ISLAM SIDDIQUI

USDA  CropLife(Monsanto)  USDC  CropLife(Monsanto)  USTR

An Obama recess appointment, Mr. Siddiqui is the Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). He also served as Vice President for Science and Regulatory Affairs at CropLife America and lobbied for that same federation earlier in his career (CropLife America represents Monsanto among others). Siddiqui is a big supporter of GMOs and as Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs at the USDA, he oversaw the release standards permitting both irradiated and GMO foods be labeled as organic.

ROGER BEACHY

Founding president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, which is a de facto Monsanto non-profit research center. Appointed by Obama to direct the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), which is an agency of the USDA. This puts Mr. Beachy, unconfirmed by the public and unelected, in charge of hundreds of millions of dollars for the countrys agricultural research policy.

TOM VILSACK

Mr. Vilsack serves as the United States Secretary of Agriculture for the Obama Administration. Both as Iowa State Senator and Governor, Vilsack has shown his support for GMOs as well as CAFOs, concentrated animal feeding operations (factory farms). He even went so far as to support legislation that would prevent local governments from regulating CAFOs, and later, the locals regulation of genetically engineered seeds. There was also controversy surrounding Vilsacks travels via Monsanto corporate jet. Vilsack founded the Governors Biotechnology Partnership, and also was named governor of the year by the Biotechnology Industry Organization. As governor of Iowa, he was a big proponent of the use of GMO corn in the production of ethanol. Prior to being appointed Secretary of Agriculture, Vilsack worked as an of-counsel lawyer for Dorsey & Whitney.

Are you beginning to see the picture? Big agri business has its tentacles all throughout big government and vice versa. As those in control jump from one ship to the other, kickbacks, favors, and even employment opportunities are given while favorable laws are paid in turn. The result is an uneven playing field, and ultimately, the increased likelihood that your local farmer will be put out of business.

So when you see legislation that promotes public health or food safety you better band against it because it pretty much ensures you that both will be threatened, along with your basic liberties.

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